With sales of both new and used products having kept the team at JNC Sales on their toes all year, the chance for a relaxed catch up with colleagues and friends at PAOD was just what the doctor ordered. Speaking to Coinslot, sales manager Rich Clarke praised the timing, atmosphere and attendance of the event, which offered the supplier a brief respite before summer starts in earnest.

Coinslot: Tell us a little bit about JNC Sales’ presence at Park Avenue Open Day? What are your observations about the event this year?

Rich Clarke: It’s an event we always like to attend. We’re good friends of Electrocoin, and it’s good to see friends and contacts in the industry. 

It’s a networking event really, a lot of the events and trade shows tend to be product heavy, but this is a nice catch up. 

It’s always at a good time of the year, too, as summer’s breaking, so people are looking forward to a busy few months in their arcades. 

Coinslot: Park Avenue Open Day marks a key turning point in the year. How has the first half of 2025 been for JNC?

Rich Clarke: We always find the first six months of the year are  incredibly busy for us at JNC. 

Obviously we’re fulfilling a lot of orders in the UK, but also export orders as well. As I’m sure all suppliers will tell you, it’s a lot of business condensed into a short period of time. But we wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Coinslot: Looking ahead, what should we look out for from JNC Sales in the coming months?

Rich Clarke: We’ve identified a lot of new products that we’ll be bringing to the market later this year. We’ve focused quite a lot on our used machines as well. Where we’ve had a lot of success with some good leading brand new products, we’ve also got lots of good refurbished options, and there’s lots to keep us busy over the next few months on both used machines and new. 

For the new machines we’ll be testing a lot throughout the summer, making some modifications and bringing out a few exciting options from September onwards. There’s never a dull moment, it always keeps us on the edge of our seats. 

Coinslot: There’s been a lot of talk at the show about gambling reform, what are your main observations on GMTS and the direction of travel on regulation? 

Rich Clarke: It’s stifled a bit of growth in a sense, as people are left a little unsure of what the future holds. But I think a lot of shrewd operators will know that you can’t sit still. You need to constantly update your arcade, and though you have to keep an eye on what’s happening, you still have to make changes now to keep the arcade fresh and exciting for repeat customers. 

It’s not ideal when there’s uncertainty, but at the same time people know you have to keep moving forward at all times.